Some keyhole surgeries can be done safely and effectively by a robot operated remotely by a surgeon in an entirely different location, according to Chinese research. The team trialled a telesurgery system, where a surgical robot is controlled remotely by a surgeon on a secure telecommunication link, for 32 prostate and kidney keyhole surgeries. The outcomes were compared to 31 robotic surgeries of the same type where the surgeon was in the same room as the patient. The researchers say the telesurgery was not inferior to the standard robotic surgery, and the telecommunication link performed well at a distance of 1000-2800 kilometres. While they say larger studies need to be done to confirm the effectiveness of this strategy, remote surgeries could one day assist in regions where medical resources are scarce.
A surgeon in another city could safely perform some robot-assisted surgeries remotely
